Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermoelectric conversion module package in which a thermoelectric conversion module is sealed with a package.
Description of Related Art
A thermoelectric conversion module can be used as a cooling module utilizing the Peltier effect of a thermoelectric material or as a power generation module utilizing the Seebeck effect of a thermoelectric material. With the expansion of applications of thermoelectric conversion modules, thermoelectric conversion modules have come to be used in various environments. In a thermoelectric conversion module, performance deteriorates due to oxidation and corrosion of the thermoelectric material.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2006-49872 discloses a thermoelectric conversion module capable of preventing oxidation and corrosion of the thermoelectric material. This thermoelectric conversion module has a structure hermetically sealed with a package constituted from a metallic cooling plate covering the low-temperature side substrate and a metallic lid covering the high-temperature side substrate. Therefore, in this thermoelectric conversion module, since the thermoelectric material does not come into contact with the external environment, excellent environmental resistance can be obtained.
In the thermoelectric conversion module according to the above document, the metallic cooling plate and the metallic lid are joined by means such as welding or the like. Therefore, in this thermoelectric conversion module, since the metallic cooling plate and the metallic lid are thermally connected, it is difficult for a temperature difference to arise between the low temperature-side substrate and the high temperature-side substrate. As a result, in this thermoelectric conversion module, cooling performance and power generation performance are greatly reduced.
Further, in the thermoelectric conversion module according to the above document, lead wires are drawn out from the metallic lid. Since both the lead wires and the metallic lid are made of metal, in this thermoelectric conversion module a constitution is required for electrically insulating the lead wires and the metallic lid and for hermetically sealing the lead wires and the metallic lid. For this reason, in this thermoelectric conversion module, the manufacturing process becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost increases.